The Better Business Bureau has recommended steps that every student headed away to college this fall should heed to protect themselves against identity theft.
According to the 2010 Identity Fraud Survey Report, more than 11 million people became victims of identity theft in 2009. Young adults ages 18 to 24 took the longest to detect identity theft when compared to other age groups – an average of 132 days. Subsequently, the average cost of $1,156 was roughly five times more than the amounts lost by other groups.
Identity thieves don’t care if you’re a struggling student and don’t have a penny to your name; all they want is your clean credit record. Young adults that establish good habits for monitoring and detecting fraud are laying a path that will help create a healthy financial road for the rest of their lives.
The BBB recommends college-bound students take the following seven steps to fight identity theft on campus.
• School mailboxes are not always secure and can often be easily accessed in a dorm or apartment. To combat sticky fingers in the mail room, have sensitive mail sent to a permanent address, like a parent’s address or post office box.
• Important documents should be stored under lock and key. This includes your Social Security card, passport, and bank and credit card statements. Shred any paper documents that have sensitive financial information rather than just tossing them out. Shred any credit card offers that come in the mail.
• Never loan your credit or debit card to anyone; not even a friend. And just say no if your friend wants you to cosign for a loan or to finance an item like a TV.
• Make sure your computer has up-to-date anti-virus and spyware software. Install updates and patches to your computer’s operation system or browser software.
• Check your credit or debit card statements closely for any suspicious or fraudulent activity.
• When shopping on unfamiliar Web sites, always check the company out first with the BBB.
• Check your credit report at least once a year.
But the best thing you can do to protect yourself from identity theft is to be proactive – and you can do that by calling LifeLock today. It’s affordable for even the tightest of college budgets, and you can even be protected under your parents’ LifeLock membership. Give them a call today, and you’ll sleep much easier tonight.
Receive 30 days free and get a 10 percent discount on enrollment with the LifeLock Promo Code “Defense.”
Tags: college students, Identity Theft, LifeLock, promo code
